Name: Beet Green Pesto
Prep time: 2 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 cups beet greens (loosely chopped); 1 cup fresh basil; 6 cloves garlic; 1/2 cup walnuts; 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated); 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more if needed)

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This beet green pesto recipe is garlicky and spicy, simple to make, and is a great no cook pasta sauce for summer nights. Best beet top recipes! If you are wondering what to do with leftover beet greens that you got from a veggie or local CSA box then look no further.

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Table of Contents

Pesto is a perfect beet greens recipe to make with fresh abundant greens. The raw garlic in the pesto compliments the slightly spicy beet greens, and combines to make a fantastic, simple, and quick summer sauce. No cooking required and ready in 5 minutes. Its great over pasta, as a dip, or drizzled over pizza for that extra kick.

This Beet Green Pesto Is:

Packed with flavor!
Bright
Bold
Slightly spicy
Fresh
Raw vegan, gluten free, paleo friendly, whole30 approved!

Pesto is one of those staple sauces that we enjoy all year round! In the summer our garden yields tons of beet greens to use in pesto, but you can use any green you have on hand. I like spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc. We love pesto stirred into pasta. I also love to add a heaping scoop of pesto into my Pesto Risotto or use it as a main ingredient in my Soup Au Pistou! Of all the fresh greens we’ve made in pesto, I gotta say that beet greens rank at the top.

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Whats In This Beet Green Pesto?

Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

Fresh Beet Greens: Whether you grow your own beets, or buy beets at the store with the tops still on – use can use the leaves to make fresh and vibrant recipes.
Basil: Traditional in Italian pesto, the fresh basil adds a kick and complexity that pairs really well with the mustard greens.
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
Walnuts: because YUM in this pesto.
Salt & Pepper

Beet Green Recipes

On a whim, we decided to grow mustard greens in our garden… and they exploded! They are a hearty and resilient green which stood up to the cooler May nights, and continued to thrive in the warm and wet June. A groundhog got into them a little (we have since put fencing up) but we have been harvesting them for weeks now.

Aside from this pesto, another favorite mustard greens recipe we have is chopping the raw greens and adding them to tacos. A nice and spicy bite! They go great with fresh chopped red onion, TVP taco meat, and warm corn tortilla shells right out of the oven.

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How Do I Make This Pesto with Beet Greens?

In a food processor add the beet greens, basil, garlic, almonds, and salt.
Pulse a few times, then turn the food processor on low and steam in the olive oil. Stop, and check the consistency, adding more olive oil if needed.
Toss with fresh pasta, use pesto as a sauce on homemade pizza, or enjoy pesto as a dip for vegetables or bread

What Else Can I Cook With Beet Greens?

While there are tons of ways to cook beet greens, this beet pesto has been our favorite method by far! This pesto recipe really compliments the fresh, bold, spicy flavor of the leaves. For a little extra spice, a few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes would be an ideal addition to this sauce.

To make this beet pesto you can use either the blender or the food processor. I used the blender, but either appliance will give you an awesome texture and flavor. Use less olive oil for a chunkier sauce, and more for a thinner sauce.

Dietary Modifications

So, this pesto is already vegan, gluten free, & whole30 friendly! Traditionally pesto recipes use cheese, which I opted to leave out of this for a dairy free version. But if you aren’t vegan or dairy-free then I would recommended adding a big scoop of freshly grated parmesan in the sauce or to top your pasta before serving.

Enjoy this Vegan Beet Green Pesto Recipe With:

Toss with cooked pasta for a delicious dinner
Add to Garlic Lovers Garlic Bread
Use pesto as a pizza sauce, or top your pizza with a drizzle
Mix a scoop into risotto for a delicious pesto risotto
Make pesto soup, which combines fresh vegetables, beans, noodles, and pesto in the broth

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Get the Same Ingredients I Use For My Vegan Beet Green Pesto Recipe!

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Beet Green Pesto

By Kelly Jensen

This beet green pesto is garlicky and spicy, simple to make, and is a great no cook pasta sauce for summer nights. Great way to use mustard greens from your garden.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 2

Blend Time 3

Total Time 5

Course Dinner, Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 109 kcal

Equipment

▢
Blender or Food Processor

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups beet greens loosely chopped
▢ 1 cup fresh basil
▢ 6 cloves garlic
▢ 1/2 cup walnuts
▢ 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
▢ 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
▢ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more if needed

Instructions

In a food processor or blender, add the beet greens, basil, garlic, walnuts, salt, and parmesan cheese.
Pulse a few times, then turn the food processor on low and stream in the olive oil. Stop, and check the consistency, adding more olive oil if needed.
Toss with fresh pasta, use pesto as a sauce on homemade pizza, or enjoy pesto as a dip for vegetables or bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 335mgPotassium: 245mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1522IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 1mg

Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a rating and comment below, let us know what you loved about it!

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6 Comments

Tina Moyer says:

July 15, 2022 at 5:46 pm

What can I do if my pesto is too thick? I keep adding oil but it’s not doing anything. I think I put too many almonds.? I don’t want to throw it away. If I can’t fix it is there anything I can make with it?

1. The Herbeevore says:
  
  July 15, 2022 at 9:30 pm
  
  Hi Tina, if I’m making pasta to go along with my pesto I’ll usually add some pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce a bit. You can try that – or regular water! Just 1 tablespoon at a time, then test it again. Let me know how it works!
  
Klebefolien says:

March 11, 2022 at 10:31 am

It looks so delicious, I’ll try it too. Thank you for the recipe, I am sure it will taste very good.

5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Beet Green Pesto Recipe